


Better Together

by QueridaMyDear



Category: Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Dan and Anne and Venom make it better, Eddie is in love with both Anne and Dan, F/M, M/M, Multi, eddie has PTSD, eddie has a panic attack, he doesn't realize they both love him back, he's a bit dumb
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-24
Updated: 2018-11-24
Packaged: 2019-08-28 13:34:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16724370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueridaMyDear/pseuds/QueridaMyDear
Summary: Anne tries to gauge whether or not Eddie would be interested in becoming her and Dan's boyfriend, but her feelings lead her to misspeak, which leads Eddie to misunderstand.





	Better Together

“Sometimes when I wake up I still think it's you in bed next to me. I kind of wish you were there.”

Anne’s sudden admission hits Eddie as if she’d punched him in the face. It’s been nearly a year since she left him standing on the sidewalk, watching her walk out of his life. Trying to move on from her had been the hardest thing he’d ever done, and if he was being honest, he hadn’t done a good job of it. There were still times he thought he heard her coming home, dropping her keys by the door, taking off her heels, but it was never her, just the ghost of a memory that sounded like her. There was a part of him that would always love her, always want her. He’d told himself he loved her enough to not try again, so he hadn’t. They’d managed to build a friendship now that they were no longer together, and sometimes it hurt to go home without her, but he couldn’t imagine a life that didn’t have her in it, in at least some capacity. 

Eddie had come over to Anne and Dan’s house to watch a movie Anne had been excited about for a while now. She had heard it was being made back when her and Eddie were still together, and now that they were no longer a thing and she was with Dan, it was on DVD. It had hurt a little when Dan invited him over to watch it with them. He remembered making plans to see it with Anne when it hit the theaters, but that never happened.

“I…” Eddie’s tongue and mouth felt dry, it was hard to talk, hard to think, hard to reconcile his joy with his confusion and anger. How dare she say this to him, when he’d tried so hard to move on, however poorly. How dare she fan that flame of hope that refused to give out. How dare she say that to him when Dan was in the kitchen. And how dare he want to respond, to tell her how much he missed her. She knew, though. He hadn’t made any big secret of it. He’d always been able to tell her anything, even his rawest, most painful feelings.

“This is so hard, Anne, I…” He wanted to say something beautiful and profound, but mostly, he just hurt. He’d been staring at his feet since she spoke, unable to look at her, but he did look up and see her sitting there in her pajama pants she used to wear when they lived together, in a new shirt that he’d never seen before, something she’d gotten recently, without him. Little things like that ached so much. He wasn’t sure how to decode the expression on her face. Regret. Love? Panic. 

She’d misspoken, she hadn’t meant it to turn out this way. Anne had been trying to say something else, to explain the situation to him, but it was difficult, it was complicated and she didn’t know how Eddie would feel about it, and while trying to broach the subject, her feelings had gotten in her way, made her spit out words she hadn’t meant to say.

“Eddie, what I meant was-” Anne tried to move closer to Eddie on the couch but he stood, backing away, his eyes shifting around the room as he looked for an escape route. 

“Eddie please, let me explain, m-me and Dan, we've been talking- about you! And us-” Anne reached out for him, to grab his wrist and keep him from running, but he pulled away, out of her reach.

“I'm gonna… I'm gonna go see if Dan needs help in the kitchen.” Eddie mumbled, standing, hitting his knee against the coffee table. He walked away, Anne watching the back of his head, terrified she'd scared him off. 

**You want her.** Venom growled in his thoughts as he left Anne on the couch, both their hearts aching.

 _I do._ Eddie agreed as he stepped foot in the doorway of the kitchen, Dan arranging vegetables on a tray with dip. Beside him sat a plate of wings, freshly tossed in sauce, a smear of the sauce on the counter that Dan swiped a finger through, licking it off. While Eddie had been rebuilding his life, Anne and Dan had been such great friends to him. Now that things were better and more stable, he was happy he could still call them his friends. But at the same time, he knew he was a terrible friend. What kind of friend was he to walk into their house, his head and heart longing for _both_ of them? 

Dan had been nothing but nice to Eddie from the moment they met. Dan appreciated Eddie’s work and read everything faithfully. He always had supportive comments and useful criticism, and besides all that, he genuinely liked the guy. He was easy to talk to, they had a lot in common. And lately, when he was visiting them or they were visiting him, it was hard to not think about pushing Dan against the nearest wall and kissing him, raking his fingers through Dan’s hair and messing it up, covering his neck with bites and kisses while Dan felt his way around Eddie’s body.

 **You want them both.** Venom stated, reading his host’s complicated thoughts. He wanted them both, but didn't want to destroy their relationship with each other, or his relationship with them. But the more time he spent with them, the more it hurt to keep denying himself, the more it hurt to see their hands clasped together.

 _I do._ Eddie nodded. This was such a fucking mess. He walked into the kitchen, his footsteps alerting Dan.

“Hey, Eddie. Come to give me a hand?” Dan smiled and Eddie felt the same excitement in his heart as he did when his and Anne’s relationship was still new, when he couldn't wait to see her again, when everything she did and said was endearing and made him love her more. But now it was Dan making his heart race with his smile and his laughter and the freckles all over his face. 

“Anne’s been wanting to see this movie for a long time,” Dan spoke as he finished up arranging the snacks, “Could you get some beers for us all?” 

“Oh, sure.” Eddie went to the fridge and fished around, grabbing four before realizing he wasn't at his own place, where he usually drank two at a time. He put one back and brought the remaining three to the counter where Dan was working, setting them down to look for the beer opener, forever forgetting which drawer held what utensils. 

“Anyway, she's been wanting to see it for awhile. We meant to see it in the theater, but it's hard with our schedules. And we barely even get to hang out with you these days, what with Anne still working those cases against the Life Foundation.” The mere mention of the place made Eddie wince, which didn’t go unnoticed by Dan. He set the vegetables down, a regretful, apologetic look on his face.

“Sorry, I won't mention it again.” 

“No, it's okay, it's okay.” Eddie dismissed it, shook his head, but part of him was back in the bowels of the Life Foundation, warning lights flashing, Maria trying to claw his eyes out before dying, Carlton’s goons tying him to a chair…

**Eddie! We’re safe!**

“Eddie. Hey.” Dan put a hand on his shoulder, startling him but also reminding him where he was. “You're safe now. You're safe here.”

“I know.” Eddie nodded, kept nodding. His breathing was too fast, still scared, still remembering being at the Life Foundation without Venom. Vulnerable, alone, at the mercy of another man with a symbiote, both of whom wanted him dead.

**Eddie, I will never leave you.**

_I know._ But sometimes it's hard to not be scared. His memories can't hurt him but the fear he could lose Venom is so real, as real as the fear that he could lose Anne and Dan if he ever dares to breathe a word to either of them revealing just how much he loves them both.

“Hey. Breathe.” Dan’s hand settled on his face, his other hand holding Eddie’s. Eddie forgot how to breathe when he realized how close Dan’s face was to his, which didn't help much to calm him down. “Follow my lead?”

Eddie nodded, breathing in deeply when Dan did, holding it, then breathing out, his grip tight on Dan’s hand, Dan’s breath warm on his face.

“Good. Let’s do it a few more times.”

“What happened?” Anne had heard the chatter in the kitchen dying down and hurried in to check on them. She was surprised to find Eddie shaking a little, his gaze unfocused as his memories haunted him. “Eddie, what happened?”

**They are both so caring. So attentive. They would be good mates.**

_I told you, they're with each other. I'm not gonna get between them._

**Are you so sure they would not be interested?**

“I mentioned, uh… You know the place,” Dan answered, Eddie still focused on breathing. “He got a bit panicked, that's all.”

“Oh, Eddie.” Anne came over and took his hand from Dan, letting him squeeze it. “Are you and Dan breathing doing the breathing?” 

“Yeah. Yeah.” Eddie nodded, and felt Anne drifting behind him, his hand still clutched tightly in hers. She stood against him, winding her other arm around his waist. Anne pulled Eddie against her and breathed in deep, pressing her hand against his stomach. Eddie felt like lightning had struck his spine as he felt Anne’s warmth against his back, her small hand on his body. He took in a shuddering breath, eyes sliding shut as he felt Anne breathing against his back. 

“It's okay. It's okay. We've got you, Eddie. You're safe. You're with us.” Anne pressed her face to the back of Eddie's shoulder, keeping her breathing slow and steady for him to follow along. 

“How are you doing, Eddie? Doing better?” Dan asked, his hand tracing down Eddie's face. Eddie opened his eyes and saw Dan had stepped closer than he had been before, and he took one step even closer, his body pressed into Eddie’s, so close Eddie felt his warmth through his shirt. Dan’s breathing fell in line with Eddie’s and Anne’s, his arm around Eddie’s waist, holding him safely between them both. Eddie's shuddering, too-fast breaths slowed as Anne and Dan surrounded him and guided his breathing with their own. He felt Anne’s lips brush his neck, his heart starting to race, a brand new panic setting in until he felt Dan pressing soft kisses along his jaw. It dawned on him then, what Anne had been trying to say to him. Her and Dan had been talking about him, and them, and all of them. Retrospect allowed him to re-examine gestures from both Anne and Dan he’d thought weird or exciting but inappropriate at the time, Anne brushing his hand with hers, Dan sitting with his leg pressed against the length of Eddie’s on the couch, the house key Anne had given him. Of course, the house key. For a reporter, he was kinda slow on the uptake at times.

With each additional kiss from them both, the longing ache he’d carried in his heart lifted, his fears and demons chased away for now, replaced by the excitement and joy of a newfound love, a new relationship to explore.

“Yeah. Better now.”

**Better together, Eddie.**


End file.
